Daniels and Zemelman Chapters 1 and 2

Reading is a metacognitive activity. When somebody reads something, they have thoughts or ideas that stem from what they have read. If you are one of these readers, you probably remember what you read more easily than somebody who says they just read the words. The concept of reading being metacognitive may also be subconscious to people, and only becoming conscious of upon hearing these words from another person. As somebody studying to become a science teacher, I see the value in helping students realize that reading is a metacognitive process. Once this is done, it will be easier for students to build upon reading skills, and give meaning to what they have read, allowing them to recall that information more easily in the future. One such strategy is to connect what you’re reading to something that you are familiar with, such as connecting people sitting on a bus to Octet Rule in chemistry. Steve Cosgrove’s biology class outlines this idea. The students were only reading the words, and as a result, they were unable to recall the information well enough to meet Steve’s

expectations for them (Daniels and Zelman 6). This worries me, especially because I am a future science teacher. I wonder if Steve took a class to go over reading strategies for biology. In my experience, reading a biology textbook is usually harder than a novel because it is so densely packed with complicated information and long chapters, none of which have information you are familiar with or know how to categorize most effectively yet. Having gone through my biology classes, I have found strategies that help me read and understand the text easier and I am certain that there are strategies out there for all students. If somebody were to have shown me how to read and study for biology during my first class, the next three years wouldn’t have been so difficult, and I would have gotten a lot more out of it. I plan to spend some time in the beginning of the school year going over some successful reading strategies, so my students will be more capable of understanding and feeling comfortable with the material we will cover that year.

407 Wilhelm Chapters 1 and 2

                Teachers are not often referred to as being scientists, but the longer I study biology and education, the more apparent it is that they are actual scientists. Teachers think about what method would be best suited for their students’ learning. They also have to measure progress in their students and themselves, and then reflect on it in order to improve for the next lesson. This is a very common theme in biology; try an experiment, record data, say why it didn’t work (or publish a paper if it did work) and what you want to do next, repeat. In education, data does not have to be numbers that are riddled with arithmetic means and chi squared tables. Informal assessments can give an educator enough data to determine if it is time to move on. Being able to know more definitively when a student has understood material sufficiently enough to move on is a crucial ability that any good teacher should have.

                When I was in high school, my grandparents brought me to a pond to teach me how to fish. My grandfather gave me a fishing pole and some hooks to use. He said, “Now watch what I do. Don’t try anything yet, just watch.” So I watched as he grabbed a worm and set it on the hook for bait. He then showed me how to cast it and to wait for a bite. Shortly, a bluegill had bitten the hook and Papa reeled him in. Then he said, “You want to hold the fish like this so his spines can’t get you when he tries to jump. Once you got him, grab the hook and twist gently so it comes out. Now he’s good to go back to his friends!” Grandpa told me to grab a worm and set it up for him to cast. And just like that, he got another one. So now it was my turn. I put my worm on the hook, casted it out, and did that a few more times because I kept missing the fish biting. But when I got one, I reeled him in and grabbed for him, but couldn’t bring myself to get the hook out. I was afraid to hurt him, ironic I know, but I guess it’s common for a beginner. Papa unhooked my first few and then I tried the way I had seen him do it and it worked like magic. I felt like I was a professional fisherman.

                The story I just told you outlines some ideas I came across in the reading. The way I learned was through Learning Centered Teaching and worked really well for something that I wasn’t so confident in. My zone of actual development was being able to put the worm on a hook, and my zone of proximal development was reeling in a fish. However, I was not ready for unhooking a fish, but more practice helped me get over that and I was eventually able to do it. I learned how to fish because my grandpa taught me how. He knew when I was ready to learn the next step, and when I needed to practice on the level I was at. He collected data informally about my progress and used mental notes to keep track of what I should be doing. And, he was able to teach me because somebody had taught him. I know this because I used the same method to teach a friend how to fish and it worked well enough for him to catch and unhook a bass!

                I agree with Dr. Comer’s ideas about using science in teaching. I believe that data is a powerful tool that helps both student and teacher realize their progress. To me, the question I would like to further explore is what methods of gathering data would be statistically biased and how can I avoid that so my data is more accurate? I believe that I could use assessments that require students to express their knowledge in a variety of ways, aligning with the multiple intelligence theory, so that every student has an equal opportunity to show me how much they know. Vygotsky’s beliefs can be applied to the attainment of knowledge of any nature. This does not have to be solely within a classroom setting or relating to math, history, etc. Having a full understanding of this theory allows a teacher to more accurately express how students’ learn.

               

               

407 Literacy Profile

                Soccer has had a strong influence on my life since I was six years old. My parents wanted me to play a sport so they had signed me up for a Sting Rays camp in the summer. I happened to be one of the older kids there and I was better because I was more coordinated (but I was oblivious to that reason at the time). This was the first thing I knew I was good at, so I kept with it.

                I grew up in Cranston, RI and the town has an organization called CLCF (Cranston’s League for Cranston’s Future) that organizes recreational sports for kids. I played my first season in the fall of second grade. This was very important to me because I had just moved to Cranston from Warwick and this gave the opportunity to make new friends. It turned out that most of the kids in the CLCF program went to my elementary school instead of Stone Hill or Garden City. I was very happy to work on some friendships.

The first season was great. The team was very close even though we lost all 12 of our games. Our coach kept pushing us to win but halfway through he didn’t mind anymore because we were still having a lot of fun. I don’t remember ever being part of a team that was not fun to be part of. I played both the fall and spring seasons until I was 12. Through those years I gained skill in ball control, shooting, passing, and understanding the game. My position was always central defense or defensive midfield because I was very possessive of my side of the field. The other team was not allowed to be there or to have the ball when I played and that tenacity was beloved by every one of my coaches.

My best season was fall of seventh grade. I had gotten so good that a reporter from the Cranston Herald used to interview me after games (I had no idea the town had such interest in recreational sports!). One game, I had more saves than my goalie, who was a substitute to be fair.

The following season changed my life forever. I suffered a dislocated kneecap and year later discovered a ligament was torn, including part of my meniscus. I spent almost two years in rehab but I couldn’t outfight my growing body. In my desire to play again, I tried to play twice, but suffered the same result. I turned to refereeing games, which was enjoyable, but not the same. Since then, and currently now, I am overcompensating my love to play the game by studying it. I can name every team in the top divisions of England, Germany, and Spain and Italy on a good day. I know most of the players and formations, and have a fairly firm grasp on tactics. I have even developed a belief on how I would coach a team and what playing style I would prefer to use, since it really is just a preference most of the time.

Now, as a teacher candidate, I realize that my teachers may not have known this about me, but that this knowledge would benefit them in their teaching. If nothing else, my teachers could have had a stronger relationship with me that may have caused me to work harder in school. I struggled with motivating myself to do work because I didn’t see the point in it. Most often, teachers would give up trying to get me to do my homework and get mad or send me out of the room, which actually makes things worse.

If I were a teacher, I would want to know what out of school activity a student likes most so that I can strengthen that relationship. I believe that a strong relationship between student and teacher includes respect which can motivate students to do work. There were a few teachers that I respected and I made sure to do my work in their class because if I didn’t, I got that look of disappointment that I hate, so I made sure to do the next assignment really well. This respect also contributes to creating a community and a safe environment. The teacher should seem human to the students without any need of investigation. And yes, they may need to share a few minor personal details, such as their favorite sport or pet, to help the students realize this. Knowing what students like can open the door for differentiation. In the case of soccer, on field formations can be used to explain some 3-D visualizations of chemical reactions and other concepts (like how water dissolving salt is like defenders swarming an opposing ball carrier) that are difficult to imagine.

Knowing your students is fundamental to differentiating instruction, and to having a safe community for individuals to learn in. Between now and student teaching, I hope to gain more knowledge on how to best learn my students and then how do I really use that knowledge to improve my students’ learning.